Showing posts with label XBLA Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label XBLA Review. Show all posts

Monday, August 26, 2013

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (XBLA)

Never in my history as a gamer have I had the privilege to play through a game that was so emotionally thought provoking as this one was. Both 'Josef Fares (A Swedish Film Director)', and the creative team at 'Starbreeze Studios' have put together a grand fairytale that transcends cultures, and language barriers of all kinds. Using love, and it's powerful nature as the main theme the development team behind this mature fairytale of sorts takes you on a visually breathtaking journey like none other you have ever seen before. You'll get to follow along as you guide two brothers who have suffered the terrible loss of their mother, and are in the process of losing yet another loved one. Their journey to find a cure for their ailing father will ultimately take them, and you to various locations of splendor, and even to nightmarish havens where the worst of dreams are realized. As you journey alongside them you'll discover that it is the brothers' undying love for one another that drives them to go against all odds, and will hopefully gain the cure that could ultimately save the life of their father. During your epic adventure with the two brothers your heart will no doubt be ripped asunder with sorrow, and tears may even be shed on their behalf, but in the end you will find reassurance as they both did that love is eternal and will never fade away.

Monday, July 15, 2013

Pacific Rim (XBLA)



By now most of you have heard about, or even seen the theatrical release of Guillermo del Toro's "Pacific Rim". Myself, being the Guillermo del Toro fan that I am was actually surprised to learn that he was involved in the making of it. It was a pleasant surprise indeed. Not many directors can create/incorporate such unique, and interesting creature designs as Guillermo can. This fact alone was the driving force behind my decision to take on Yuke's latest robotic video game creation. For those of you who don't know of Yuke's they had previously released another robot oriented XBLA title based on the movie "Real Steel". Myself, and other gaming journalists pretty much agreed that that particular film-to-game release was a pure money maker. The DLC needed to customize your dueling robots would set you back a pretty penny, and as a result the game's popularity waned a good bit. Thankfully though Yuke's has returned with a vengeance, and has minimized the dreaded DLC that they had become synonymous with.

Friday, July 5, 2013

Scourge: Outbreak (XBLA)

These days it seems that creative innovation has been replaced by inspiration, and influence. Often times game developers stick with tried, and true gaming formulas that have proven successful for others in the industry. Sadly enough the developer of Scourge: Outbreak (Tragnarion Studios) has fallen victim to this process of game design, and thinking. In essence the game that they have created comes off as being more of a GoW (Gears of War) clone. It borrows basic ideas from said franchise creating only a semi-unique experience in the process. At the heart of the story there is a corrupt corporation called the "Nogari" who is dealing in biological warfare, and a counter-terrorist group called "Tran" that are at odds with one another. Tran, and it's ECHO squad are ultimately trying to unearth the secret goings on of the Nogari, so that they can expose their intentions to the world. In the process of doing so they meet opposition from within, and outside of their own operations. The three man, and one woman ECHO squad ultimately finds themselves in the midst of a conspiracy that will have them fighting for their lives, and questioning their source of intel as well.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

CastleStorm (XBLA)

Zen Studios is a gaming company that is mainly known for their amazing arcade style pinball releases. I for one have spent many hours enjoying the various tables that they have created on both the Xbox 360, and PS3 consoles. I have even spread the word on the latest table releases here on this blog. While most of Zen Studio's early focus was on the previously mentioned pinball consoles releases it was nice to see Zen Studios branch out recently, and bring their award worthy games to different platforms (Mobile & PC). What surprised, and intrigued me the most about this developer though was their decision to make a type of game that gamers usually don't associate with the Zen Studios brand of gaming. This newly released game I speak of is none other than "CastleStorm". It's a unique medieval arcade style experience that seems to borrow the quirkiness of Zen Studio's "Epic Quest" Zen Pinball/Pinball FX2 table. It even takes the inspiration leaps and bounds further. The game definitely offers a lot more than it's pinball based predecessors, and does so in an entirely new way. Whether, or not the gaming community will welcome it with open arms remains to be seen though.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

BattleBlock Theater (XBLA)

Recently I was blessed enough to have a friend give me a code for The Behemoth's "BattleBlock Theater". I had tried my hardest to get a code from the source, but it turned out to be another failed attempt. Thankfully though @WOLFZKRIEGER did have a code to spare, and because he was so kind I'm able to deliver this review to you (my readers). My thanks goes out to him for his generosity. I will definitely try my best to not let anyone down with this review, and believe me I've already somewhat preplanned what I'm going to say. I'm hoping that by some chance in hell I'll be able at least add a minute hint of humor to my review since this game is overflowing with many "LOL!" moments. It only seems right to me.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams (XBLA)

Believe it, or not this isn't the first time that "Giana Sisters" has made it's debut as a video game. Before Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams was a reality there was a Nintendo DS game that sported a similar title. This game was none other than "Giana Sisters DS". This original title seemed to borrow inspiration from the Super Mario Bros. franchise, and featured some level designs/details that were very similar to those sorts of games. Even the art that accompanied the game seem to further reflect the developer's uncanny tribute based game design. Luckily for us though Black Forest Games picked up the title, re-imagined the gameplay, and made "Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams" a more original experience. Sure it still had the slight super Mario Bros. tribute content from time to time, but it wasn't as "in your face" as it was before. With new gameplay mechanics, and greatly enhanced visuals 'Black Forest Games' has set out to impress it's audience with possibly one of the best platformers released this year.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Alien Spidy (XBLA): "An Intergalactic Web Swinger"

Alien Spidy is a simple yet complex arcade platformer. It utilizes simple controls, and challenging gameplay to entertain the player. At the heart of the game is a brief story that is brought to life through a cinematic 3D intro. This visually interesting tale of space exploration, and a lost love ultimately begins with a line of dialogue that all science fiction fans will recognize. This line of course is none other than the one that starts off every "Star Wars" movie (In a galaxy far, far away ...). Within the 3D spectacle that is the intro the gamer will catch a glimpse of the game's protagonist, 'Spidy' as he waves goodbye to his female companion who is headed to planet Earth. After monitoring her progress for a short while (via an intergalactic control panel) he finds that his female friend has crash landed on the intended destination. In a panic Spidy hops aboard a spaceship, and zooms out into space after her. With a quick, and humorous nod towards the camera Spidy shuttles off towards Earth in hopes of rescuing his lost loved one. This my friends is where the story ends, and the game begins.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Phantom Breaker: Battlegrounds (XBLA) "A Retro Beat 'em Up With Fighting Game Mechanics"

Around 2010 it was announced that video game publisher 5pb, and game developer 7sixty were going to release a 2D fighting game that included characters from various anime, and manga series. Among the included anime, and manga were the popular titles "Steins;Gate", and "Chaos;Head". This extensive fighter was supposedly going to introduce new fighting game mechanics, and was ultimately slated for a release here in the states. Unfortunately due to some issues the developer, and publisher of the game never released it to the US public. Sadly it ended up being a Japan only release.

After 2011, and 2012 passed rumors emerged through various video game related sites that a "Phantom Breaker" spin-off title was scheduled for release on the Xbox 360. It turns out that these rumors were indeed fact, and that a new "Phantom Breaker" was actually on it's way to the US marketplace. Through some research I found out, as most of you likely did that the new "Phantom Breaker", titled "Phantom Breaker: Battlegrounds" wasn't going to be the fighter that many of us had hoped for. Instead the new game was going to be a retro styled beat 'em up with fighting game mechanics. The idea sounded off-the-wall to me, but after getting my hands on a review copy I found out otherwise. The game was solid in every aspect, and offered a truly fun experience, the likes of which I haven't seen in a very long time. The new publisher Mages, and developer Division2 have produced a digital product that was definitely worth having regardless of the fact that it isn't the initially scheduled fighting game release.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Serious Sam Double D XXL (XBLA): "A Content Packed Indie With An XBLA Facade"

In 2011, prior to the release of "Serious Sam 3: BFE" it was announced through various media outlets that Croteam was partnering up with some indie developers on a promotional project. This project included three Serious Sam spin-offs from three different indie game developers. One of the developers would be releasing a Serious Sam title as a "runner" type of game for mobile devices. It would be called "Serious Sam: Kamikaze Attack!". Another game that was scheduled for release was a turn based Serious Sam RPG titled, "Serious Sam: The Random Encounter". As of now I do not know whether, or not either of these games ever seen the light of day. One thing is for certain though, "Serious Sam 3: BFE" was released before the indie spin-offs were. The third, and final indie spin-off I'm here to review today will be released on the 20th of this month. It's a 2D sides-crolling platformer by the ever popular XBLIG developer, "Mommy's Best Games", and "Devolver Digital". The game is not entirely unique though since it was previously released as a STEAM title. With that being said though, "Mommy's Best Games" did go out of their way to add some additional content for the gamers.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Special Forces: Team X (XBLA): "An Impressive Mashup Of Various Shooter Genres"

Atari, and Zombie Studios have worked together to bring us what could be best described as a third person cover based shooter. The game itself seems to borrow what's great from other popular shooter titles, and make a unique experience with the well known game mechanics. There's definitely a hint of games like "Borderlands", "Call of Duty", and even a tiny fraction of "HALO" thrown into the mix. If I had to compare it to any shooter series though it would definitely be more like that of the "Gears of War" series. The cover-to-cover combat is definitely the game's more prominent feature, and focal point. While the game definitely borrows some ideas it still stands alone as a unique gaming experience.

Friday, February 1, 2013

Skulls of the Shogun (XBLA): "The Arcade Game That Could Have Been An Indie"

You guys have heard me complain about PRs in the past, and having to deal with them, so I will not got into a rant about dealing with 17Bit. I will however say that thanks to my good friend WOLFZKRIEGER I was able to gain a code for this latest XBLA title. 17Bit totally ignored me, so they will not be getting any credit from me. If it weren't for my friend you would not be reading this following review from me. As such my thanks goes out to my friend WOLFZKRIEGER for being so generous. I hope that one day I can share a code with him as well. With all of that aside let us delve deep into the world of the interesting XBLA strategy hybrid that is "Skulls of the Shogun"!

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Black Knight Sword (XBLA): "SUDA 51's Masterful Fairy Tale"

When it comes to vivid, and disturbing video games no one quite does it like SUDA 51. In the past this master of the macabre has given us such titles as the strange yet intriguing "Shadows of the Damned". I never in my life fathomed that this game developer would contribute to the XBLA library though. The fact that he did proves that he is out to impress the world with his talents, and in my honest opinion I think "Black Knight Sword" does exactly that. I spent hours sitting in front of the television mesmerized by the oddities, and WTF!? moments that populated the screen. Looking back I think I will definitely have a difficult time putting into words what I witnessed during my playthrough, but I will give it my best shot.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Pinball FX2 (XBLA): "Zen Classics"

In the early next-gen days of gaming, before I even thought of doing gaming reviews, I was a serious PS3 gamer. Among my collection of PSN game titles there was a pinball game you may have heard of before. This pinball game was none other than "Zen Pinball". It was basically the same thing as "Pinball FX2", but unlike 'Pinball FX2' though 'Zen Pinball' came with it's own unique starter set. There were four tables included that each presented to the gamer an entirely unique pinball gaming experience. The tables included in the set were "El Dorado", "Shaman", "V12", and "Tesla". As Zen Studios would have it these four challenging tables were kept from the Xbox 360 version of the game for a while. It wasn't until recently that the pinball wizards of 'Zen Studios' decided to grant us Xbox 360 owners access to these early tables. In the end Zen Studios not only revived them for us, but also remastered them with amazingly enhanced graphics, and sounds. Today my friends I bring to you my breakdown of what each table has to offer the player as well as some basic stategies to achieve that highest score. Without further adieu, "Let the games begin!" ....

Friday, November 23, 2012

Pinball FX2/Marvel Pinball: "Civil War"

In 2006 there began an epic Marvel mini-series that was unlike anything the fans of the longstanding comic book franchise had ever seen. This series was none other than Marvel's "Civil War". The event lasted through seven epic drama filled issues that involved many of Marvels best known superheroes, and supervillains. Standing their ground at the core of the conflict was Iron Man, and Captain America. The two popular Marvel superheroes found themselves on opposing sides of a newly proposed "Super Hero Registration Act (SHRA)" which was created after a deadly clash that resulted in the loss of many innocent lives. On one hand Iron Man was all for the proposed act, and on the other hand Captain America was very much against it. What spawned from this massive civil unrest was several instances of bloodshed, and the division of the Marvel Universe as we (the readers) had come to realize it.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Zombie Driver HD (XBLA): "Zombie Carnage & Vehicular Combat"

Zombies seem to be a hot topic these days. Whether it's in the form of entertainment, or rumors spreading about a possible zombie apocalypse you have no doubt probably witnessed the bloody carnage that these undead denizens can cause. While I think a zombie apocalypse is the least of our worries I do partake in the grim goodness that the zombie entertainment genre has to offer. From time to time I'll pop a zombie oriented movie into my dvd player, or even partake of the ever-popular zombie video game genre via my Xbox 360. There is honestly no lack of available content when it comes to zombie horror, and as such a horror fan like my self can be entertained until the zombie apocalypse finally arrives, if it even does.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Worms Revolution (XBLA): "Wacky Worm Hijinks Displayed in Brilliant 2.5D!!!"

Your favorite bunch of segmented cephalopods return in all their humorous glory as a fellow British nature enthusiast guides them to their ultimate doom, or perhaps their glorious destiny. Equipped with a wide array  of one liners, and wacky weaponry these creepy crawlies and their negative narrator are prepared for a battle of the fittest. There is no doubt there will be plenty of cartoon-like casualties as the worms blast, beat, and dragon ball their way to victory. This time around the usual crew of worms are joined by some new teammates further swaying the possible outcome of the fray at hand. Through hard training, and mayhem induced puzzle solving the new recruits will be able to dish out proper demise, or at least die trying.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

MTG 2013 DLC Expansion Pack (XBLA)

Stainless Games, and Wizards of the Coast continue to bless us with more downloadable content for the "MTG: Duels of the Planeswalkers" series. While it took a while to arrive this latest expansion set is chock full of worthy additions to the core set. Straying a little from the path of the 2013 core set these new decks involve cards from an upcoming expansion release titled "Return to Ravnica". Luckily for diehard MTG (Magic the Gathering) fans these new cards can be experienced in their entirety through the 5 new decks that the DLC expansion pack offers. The new decks each feature dual color, and dual effect mana properties allowing for more in-depth strategies, and more involved gameplay. You will face five very ruthless duelists including Selesnya, Azorius, Rakdos, Izzet, and Golgari. Accompying the five new decks are 10 new campaigns, and 5 new challenges to familiarize you with the gameplay mechanics.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Double Dragon Neon (XBLA): "The 80's Reborn"

The 80's were a magical time in history when the entertainment industry was at it's best, and most original. There were all sorts of awesome movies being released, the music was arguably the coolest, and video games were truly awe-inspiring. I grew up in the 80's myself, and was able to partake of the greatness that it had offered. Those who were as lucky as me will often tell you that they miss such days, because everything seemed so much simpler. As a gamer I spent most of my spare time in the 80's playing on my family's NES with my brothers. We played what seemed like hundreds of games, and never grew tired of doing so. We would revisit some games on a constant basis while certain others we would just conquer, and move on. One game we often revisited was "Double Dragon". I remember getting in fights with my brothers over the game, but looking back we did have our fun moments as well. It's memories like these that I cherish so dearly. Being able to do a review on the latest installment of the 'Double Dragon' series gave me a trip of nostalgia that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Dogfight 1942 (XBLA): "WWII Aerial Combat With A Somewhat Realistic Design"

I have played only a handful of war based aerial combat titles in my time as a gamer, and as such doing this review was in many ways a first for me. As a gamer, and person in general my knowledge of the wars is honestly limited. Being able to play a game such as "Dogfight 1942" sort of allowed me to broaden my horizons in that area though. The realistic nature of the character interactions along with the well played historical battles shed some light on the subject for me.With their latest creation City Interactive has delivered a gaming experience that is both interesting, and somewhat engaging. While I cannot confirm it, I believe that they actually went out of their way to recreate significant details with their campaign reenactments. Some of it I'm sure is probably more on the side of fiction, but at least the game is based on real events though.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Mark of the Ninja (XBLA): "A Hands-On Ninja Experience"

Ninjas are one of the most revered of all assassins. Hollywood, toy makers, and even game designers have all delved into the mystical world of the ninja. Over the years I myself have enjoyed such entertainment fantasies, and even once pretended as a child that I was a ninja. When it comes to the world of gaming Ninjitsu is just as fantastical as the delusions of grandeur that a child such as myself has entertained. I've seen a wide array of game titles in my time that encompass the many aspects of the ninja genre. During the NES days I spent long hours trying my best to master all of the "Ninja Gaiden" games. As I grew up I spent even more time, and money on game releases that also surrounded the mythology including RPGs, and fighting games. As gaming has evolved so has the portrayal of these historic figures. It seems that even passing time cannot dull the god-like mystique that these shadowy death dealers have become so famous for.